1. Field of the Invention
The device of this invention resides in the area of golf practice devices and more particularly relates to a device utilizing a tethered golf ball with means for returning the golf ball near the location where it had been struck by the golfer for ease of retrieval by the golfer.
2. History of the Prior Art
The history of the prior art shows many examples of tethered golf balls having means to return them to the vicinity of the golfer. One of the most common means of return in such devices is by providing elasticity to the tethered line or by having a spring member incorporated therein. Of course, the problem that arises is that after striking the ball, the golfer then has the ball hurtling back toward him on the rebound which action can be disconcerting. Such spring members and elasticized cords also may direct the ball to locations other than near the golfer. Examples of such elasticized cords are found in Locurto, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,835 where a mixture of elastic cord and non-elastic cord attaches the golf ball to a stake. Shelton et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,107 also teaches the use of a combination of stretch cord and nylon cord attached to an improved ground attachment structure. Solomon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,786 teaches not only that elastic members can be used in the tether but also that they can be combined with spring members. Marple, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,798 is yet another example of a cord having an elastic member attached to a stake with a swivel element. Boyer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,154 advances the art using an elastic cord with a non-elastic cord and providing means to wind up and store the cord on a reel. Bias, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,877 also teaches a reel for cord winding and storage in combination with an anchor stake. Wiklund, U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,667 teaches the use of a reel-like structure which, when the golf ball is struck, exerts a braking influence thereon. The use of a reel to be manually rotated or rotated by a motor to help return the tethered ball to the golfer is taught in Tucker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,202. Black, U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,934; Moon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,439; Chun et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,162 and Kotecki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,404 all teach tethered lines that are wound back onto a reel by a motor. Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,997 teaches an apparatus utilizing an elastic cord for return of a ball with means of adjusting the tension of the cord by directing it around variably positioned pins to simulate various conditions. Fischer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,230 utilizes a take-up reel wherein the tether cord is loosely coiled within a tube so that when the tethered golf ball is struck, the tether cord will freely exit the tube until it reaches the end of its travel wherein a motor is activated to draw the tether cord back. Mechanical structure is provided to reposition the tether cord loosely coiled within the tube. The above mentioned devices of the prior art utilizing reels can be inherently slow and time-consuming to use due to the length of the line that must wind up on the reel. Also, because of the likelihood of tangling of the tether line as it winds upon a reel device, time can be spent untangling the line before the tethered ball can be struck again by the golfer.